Howard L. Haronian, MD, FACC has strong roots in southern New England.

Haronian, who began his new role as Chief Medical Director and Regional Vice President of the Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute, East Region, on April 3, grew up in Warwick Neck, R.I., and earned his undergraduate degree at Brown University in Providence. Following time away at medical school and residency at The New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center, Haronian returned to New England for a fellowship in Cardiovascular Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology at Yale before establishing a private practice in Westerly, R.I. and Mystic. 

It was a personal connection that brought him home.

In 1994, Haronian was set to join a large cardiology group practice at Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center and had already signed a letter of intent.  By chance, his father saw an old family friend who happened to be a member of the board of trustees at Westerly Hospital, who said the hospital was in desperate need of a cardiologist.

“So, as a favor to my dad, I drove up to Westerly. They really put out the red carpet for me. So, I asked myself, ‘Why not try?’ When else would I get the chance to ‘put up a shingle’ in such a desirable place to live?” 

He never looked back. 

While building cardiology services in the Southern Rhode Island and Southeastern Connecticut, Haronian remained an active interventional cardiologist and faculty member at Yale.

More than 23 years later, Haronian’ s practice — with his two partners, Steven M. Kutz, MD, FACC, and Jon F. Scheiber, MD, FACC, who will join Hartford HealthCare Heart and Vascular Institute in June — continues to flourish. The practice will remain in Westerly and Mystic  providing uninterrupted care to local patients and a transition to advanced care at Hartford Hospital.  Dr. Haronian will be working at the Hartford Hospital Cardiac Cath Lab weekly as the first Interventional Cardiologist to join HHCMG.  Besides supporting his Westerly practice, Dr. Haronian is available to provide interventional cardiac care (catheterization and PCI) to patients referred from all Hartford HealthCare physicians.

Dr. Haronian says he decided to affiliate with Hartford HealthCare because of its vision for the Heart and Vascular Institute, and for another opportunity to join Dr. Sabet W. Hashim, the institute’s Hartford HealthCare Heart and Vascular Institute, who he worked closely with at Yale.

“I’ve seen the success of other Hartford HealthCare initiatives, most recently, orthopedics and oncology,” says Dr. Haronian. “It was very clear to me, after meeting with leadership, hospital administration, and physicians, that they are committed to Hartford HealthCare becoming the destination of choice when it comes to cardiovascular care in the region and on a national scale.”

Says Mariane Carna, System Vice President of the Hartford HealthCare Heart and Vascular Institute, “Adding Dr. Haronian to our team continues to support our vision and commitment to delivering world class cardiovascular care across the Hartford HealthCare system and within the Heart and Vascular Institute.  Howard’s expertise and network in Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut allow us to solidify our position as the leader for cardiovascular care within the region and provides his patients with access to leading experts in our tertiary care center of Hartford Hospital if necessary.” 

As a medical student, Haronian says he chose cardiology because of the immediate impact the specialty can have on a patient’s health.

“So much of the federal government and hospital budgets are dedicated to fighting cardiovascular disease,” he says. “There is much more we can do these days in the outpatient setting. We will continue to improve outpatient access to all advanced diagnostics and therapies in cardiac and vascular services throughout our Heart & Vascular Institute, as exemplified by the addition of our Westerly and Mystic locations.”

East Region President Bimal Patel says Dr. Haronian is a valuable addition to the East Region Cardiology team.

“The addition of Dr. Haronian helps us add even more depth to our already talented cardiology team,” says Patel. “For patients living on the shoreline and throughout Eastern Connecticut, this means more access to the best cardiovascular care available.” 

“We are proud to be the catalyst in growing our cardiology presence in Southeastern Connecticut and the Heart and Vascular Institute and welcome Drs. Haronian, Kutz and Scheiber into our ever-growing family of primary care and specialty providers,” says Vincent DiBattista, president of the 450-provider Hartford HealthCare Medical Group.

Dr. Haronian says he’s happy he could practice locally these years. Growing up in Warwick with a father who is an attorney, and family replete with attorneys, Haronian says there was some pressure to go into the legal profession.

“My father would encourage me to consider a law career, but then my mother would immediately cut the conversation short and say, ‘Stop talking like that, Howie (also his dad’s name); he’s way too smart to be a lawyer,’” Haronian recalls with a big laugh.

Howard L. Haronian, MD, FACC

Board-Certified: Cardiovascular Medicine, Interventional Cardiology

Fellowship: Cardiovascular Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology & Interventional Cardiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven CT

Residency: Internal Medicine, The New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY

MD: Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY

To connect with Dr. Haronian:

Cardiology Practice Main Office:

Morgan Medical Building

45 Wells St., Ste. 102

Westerly, RI 02891 

Tel: 401.596.4499

Executive Office:

85 Jefferson Street

Hartford, CT  06106

Tel:  860.972.1127